Bottle safety cap

ABSTRACT

A safety cap for a bottle, having a neck and a top at the end of the neck to prevent opening by children. The safety cap comprises a cap to fit over a standard bottle top and an annular base having a center opening slightly larger than the neck of the bottle and special locking means located around the edge of the base for detachable engagement with the cap. The neck of the bottle has retaining means so that the base cannot be removed after it has once been placed on the neck. The cap, which when in position completely covers the top of the bottle and at least a portion of the neck, is equipped with special locking means located around its open end for detachable engagement with the locking means located on the base whereby when the cap is in locked position, the bottle top cannot be removed by children to gain access to the contents of the bottle.

United States Patent [191 Gargano [4 1 Oct. 7, 1975 BOTTLE SAFETY CAP Richard Joseph Gargano, 232 Cedar St., South Bound Brook, NJ. 08880 22 Filed: July 8,1974

21 Appl. No.: 486,679

[76] Inventor:

Primary Examiner-George T. Hall Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Harold S. OBrian, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A safety cap for a bottle, having a neck and a top at the end of the neck to prevent opening by children. The safety cap comprises a cap to fit over a standard bottle top and an annular base having a center opening slightly larger than the neck of the bottle and special locking means located around the edge of the base for detachable engagement with the cap. The neck of the bottle has retaining means so that the base cannot be removed after it has once been placed on the neck. The cap, which when in position completely covers the top of the bottle and at least a portion of the neck, is equipped withspecial locking means located around its open end for detachable engagement with the locking means located on the base whereby when the cap is in locked position, the bottle top cannot be removed by children to gain access to the contents of the bottle.

4 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,910,442

Fi-l

US. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,910,442

BOTTLE SAFETY CAP BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION Commonly, many poisonous .or physically harmful liquids used for cleaning around the house, such as ammonia, bleach, Lysol, etc. are stored in cabinets and on shelves readily accessible for use in the kitchen and laundry room. Other liquids used in automobile" maintenance and house repairs, such as brake fluid and paint remover, are stored in locations close to the work or play areas of children. Similarly, aerosol bombs containing insecticides and other harmful sprays, are stored in the garage of manyhouses. Frequently, children gain access to these storage areas and all too often open the containers andconsume the poisonous or harmful liquids or sprays.

Bottle caps with special threads or other locking arrangements requiring adult strength or dexterity to open are found on baby aspirin and other childrens medicines. However, few safety caps of this nature have been made for containers of liquid in'which a tight, liquid-sealing bottle top is required to close the container. In liquid containers, the top and bottle have a threaded engagement which seals against leakage but may be opened by young children.

THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention teaches a novel and useful bottle safety cap which fits over the ordinary threaded bottle top and has special locking arrangement which cannot be opened by young children.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety cap which can be inexpensively manufactured from readily available materials and designed for use on many configurations of bottles. j

It is an object of this invention that the safety cap may be easily and quickly placed on the bottle by an adult and'similarly removed when the bottle contents are to be used.

It is another object of this invention that the safety cap will have sufficient strength and the locking arrangement will require such strength, dexterity or an unusual opening sequence that a normal child will be incapable of removing the safety cap an'd thereby prevented from gaining access to the threaded bottle top and its contents. I

The present invention disclosed herein incorporates these objectives and advantages over the safety caps presently available by providing a two-piece safety cap comprising an annular base mounted on the bottle neck and a cap formed with means to detachably engage with the base such that children are incapable of separating. the cap from the base. i A

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the preferred form of the safety cap of my invention showing the cap positioned on a bottle.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the cap and the base shown separately.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the base shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the safety cap of my invention.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the cap and a side elevational view of the base of another embodiment of my invention.

2 Fro. 6 is 'a side aaais a view'pf a modified base and bottle neck of m y present invention. FIGQ7 is a horiiontal sectional view of the'bottle neck taken along the'line VIIF YIIof FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modified forrrrof base adapted for the bottle neck of FIG. .7. 1

FIG. .9 is a side elevational view of a modified bottle 7 neck: 1

FIG. 10 is a lan View o f jairnodified farm 8f base 1, I adapted for the bottle neck of FIG. 9.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION ANDEXAMPLES OF MY o INVENTION I Referring; to FIG. -1, of thedrawir igs, the preferred form of rny bottle safety cap ,comprises .an encircling cap 10 and an annular base 20 detachably engaged together at. their, edges generally alongpoint 22 and mounted on a bottle 30..

Bottle 30 may be any type of container for holding a liquid, gas or solid and may be indifferent shapes and formed from differentv materials. This invention requires some type of neck or at least a protrudence from the body of the container on which the base 20 may be restrained, such as aerosol .cans. In the form shown, the

generally cylindrical bottle 30 has upwardly and inwardly sloping sides 32 which joina generally tubular or cylindrical neck 34. In this form,ne"ck 34 has a pair 1 of encircling ridges 36, 38, the bottom ridge 36 supporting base 20 and the upper ridge 38, being slightlysmaller than ridge 36,"retaining base 20 against upward movement on the bottle neck 34. Lower ridge 36 is not essential 1 because the bottle shoulders 32 will support the base 20 from beneath."Similarly upper ridge 38 may be replaced with other means for restraining the base on thebottle neck as described'hereitiafter. At the top of neck 34, threads 40 are provided and a ordinary bottle top 42 with complementary threads is shown" threadedon the neck. In other forms of containers, top

'42 may be a snap fit closure or theplunger of an aero- 'Thecap of my invention is generallycylindri cal in shape with a closedtop 12 and open bottornQThe cap iv 10 is of a size sufficient to fit over the top 42, completely enclosing it, and extents downwardly to contact and engage with the base 20. The cap may be made from metal plastic or other materials and for appear.-

ance maybe made from clear or transparent plastic. As

shown in FIG. 2, the cap-base locking means may be.

ordinary threads 14 formed in the lower circular outside edge of cap 10. I l

Base 20, in the form shown in FIGS. 1-3, comprises generally an annular ring with a center opening 27 of slightly larger diameter than the neck 34 and threads 40 of the bottle 30 so that the base can be placed on the neck after bottle 30 is manufactured. Base 20 has a small upstanding peripheral flange 24 which in the form shown has threads 26 extending around its inner edge. Matching threads 14, 26 may be left handed. The annular portion 28 of base 20, as shown in FIG. 3, is cut at one or more points 29 to permit portion 28 to flex under pressure and to enlarge the center opening while passing over ridge 38 for installation. Preferably, base 20 has a diameter only large enough to receive cap 10 and, as such, base 20 does not interfere with the pouring of liquid from the container 30. I

This form of my invention is assembled and used as follows. Ridges 36, 38 may be preformed in bottle neck 34 during its manufacture and base 20 is passed over the threads 40 and over ridge 38 into the position shown inFIG. l. Annular portion 28 of base 20 is of sufficient strength that considerable downward force is required to flex portion 28 and to thereby pass base 20 over ridge 38. Bottle top42 may be threaded on after the contents have been filled and then cap '10 is placed over the top and threadedly engaged with base 20. When cap 10 is to be removed, the narrow flange 24 of base 20 must be grasped to prevent it from freely rotating while the cap 10 is turned. If the threads are lefthanded, then, of course, the cap must be turned in the other direction while the base is held. Generally, children are incapable of holding the narrow base while turning the cap and therefore cannot remove the cap.

In FIGS. 4 andalternative forms of locking means between cap and base are shown. In FIG., 4 cap 10 is equipped with a plurality of embossments' or shaped outwardly extending surfaces located at spaced intervals around its lower outside edge.-Correspondingly, base 20 has several inwardly directed lugs 52 arranged around the inner surface of flange 24. A flexible, annular washer 54 is supported by upwardly directed lugs 56 from the base so that when cap 10 is pressed downwardly upon washer 54, washer 54 flexes downwardly around its'pcriphery permitting lugs 52 to pass upwardly along surface edge 62 of embossment. 60 on cap 10 and then downwardly into locking position 64 thereby holding the cap and base, together. To separatethe two, cap 10 must be depressed before it can be turned and removed.

In FIG. 5 the detachable locking means includes a plurality of embossments or raised surfaces located on the periphery of the base 20, rather than the cap as shown in FIG. 4 a flexibleannular washer 71 and lugs, 72 on the inner surface of the cap. Again, the cap must be pressed downwardly against the washerand the base to permit the lugs 72 to engage beneath the locking surfaces 70. I

Alternative means for restraining or locking the base or the neck of the bottle are shown in FIGS. 6 through l0.'ln FIGS. 6 and 7 the neck is provided with a plurality of outwardly protruding lugs which pass through similar sized openings 82 in the base 20 shown in FIG. 8. Preferrably, a pair of mounds 84 are located on both sides of each opening 82. The mounds cause the lugs 80 to pass over the opening 82 whcnthe base is rotated unless the base is held in the exact position while being wardly sloping conical shape and flat bottom surface 102. This configuration permits the annular surface 1040f base 20 to flex slightly when the base is installed on the neck over ridge but substantially prevents subsequent removal of the base.

It may be understood by those skilled in the art that my invention may take several different forms in addi-. tion to the embodiments shown and as'more generally defined in the attached claims.

I claim:

1.. A safety cap' for a bottle having a neck and a top at the end of the neck comprising an annular base with a center opening slightly larger 7 than the neck of the bottle,

base retaining means mounted on the neck of the bottle-to prevent removal of the base after installation of the neck,

a cap completely covering the top and a portion of the neck of the bottle, and

locking means joining the cap and the base comprising a peripheral flange located around the annular surface of the base, a plurality of inwardly directed radial lugs located on the peripheral flange, a plurality of axially directed lugs located on the annular surface of the base, a flexible annular washer located in the base upon the axially directed lugs and the cap having a plurality of shaped embossments located around the outside bottom surface whereby upon pressing the cap downwardly into the base, thewasher flexes allowing the radial lugs of the base to pass along the shaped surfaces of the. embossments into a locked position.

2. The safety cap as defined in claim 1 wherein the base retaining means mounted on the-neck of the bottle comprises, a bead encircling the neck and of larger diameter than the outsideof the neck, and the annular base has a plurality of radial cuts extending from the center opening so that upon pressingthe base. down over the bead the base flexes and permits the base to pass over the bead.

3. The safety cap as defined in claim I wherein the base retaining means comprises at least one lug extending outwardly from the neck of the bottle and the base base'is placed on the neck, the base must be positioned so that the lug passing through the opening while the base is pressed downwardly on the neck.

4. The safety cap as defined in claim 3 wherein the bead encircling the bottle neck has a conical shape with downwardly and outwardly sloping sides and a flat bottom surface so that after the base has been pressed downwardly over the bead. the base cannot be lifted off the neck over the bead. 

1. A safety cap for a bottle having a neck and a top at the end of the neck comprising an annular base with a center opening slightly larger than the neck of the bottle, base retaining means mounted on the neck of the bottle to prevent removal of the base after installation of the neck, a cap completely covering the top and a portion of the neck of the bottle, and locking means joining the cap and the base comprising a peripheral flange located around the annular surface of the base, a plurality of inwardly directed radial lugs located on the peripheral flange, a plurality of axially directed lugs located on the annular surface of the base, a flexible annular washer located in the base upon the axially directed lugs and the cap having a plurality of shaped embossments located around the outside bottom surface whereby upon pressing the cap downwardly into the base, the washer flexes allowing the radial lugs of the base to pass along the shaped surfaces of the embossments into a locked position.
 2. The safety cap as defined in claim 1 wherein the base retaining means mounted on the neck Of the bottle comprises a bead encircling the neck and of larger diameter than the outside of the neck, and the annular base has a plurality of radial cuts extending from the center opening so that upon pressing the base down over the bead the base flexes and permits the base to pass over the bead.
 3. The safety cap as defined in claim 1 wherein the base retaining means comprises at least one lug extending outwardly from the neck of the bottle and the base has a corresponding number of openings located around its inner peripheral edge whereby when the base is placed on the neck, the base must be positioned so that the lug passing through the opening while the base is pressed downwardly on the neck.
 4. The safety cap as defined in claim 3 wherein the bead encircling the bottle neck has a conical shape with downwardly and outwardly sloping sides and a flat bottom surface so that after the base has been pressed downwardly over the bead, the base cannot be lifted off the neck over the bead. 